Chapter 0229

Alpha Lucian was devastated, losing his sole heir to the Alpha bloodline. He condemned my father to execution. At twelve years old, I was forced to witness Alpha Lucian behead my father, declaring him a traitor responsible for both Leopold's and Tristan's deaths. As a twisted act of mercy, I was banished—sent away with nothing but the tattered clothes on my back. Mercy? After those lies spread, no pack would shelter me. I became a rogue, barely scraping by in the wilderness.

I pause, fingers tangling in my filthy, matted hair. The Guardian's eyes glisten with tears. Sebastian's gaze is steel, but it's him I focus on as I continue.

"Months passed before I encountered Luna Isolde. I was near a lake just beyond your territory, desperate for food. Your mother recognized me immediately. She sat beside me, asking how I survived. When she saw my state—starving, wearing rags—she told me to return the next day."

"I thought it was a trap, but hunger won. I hid nearby until I saw her arrive with a basket—food, clothes, even a hunting knife. She asked what else I needed, where I slept, if I was safe. After that day, we met weekly. Sometimes she read to me."

My eyes lock with Sebastian's. "Your mother was the only light in my darkness. She never believed Lucian's lies about my father. Her kindness kept me alive. Without her, I'd have died in those woods."

I swallow hard. "I tracked Alpha Lucian's movements, waiting for revenge. That's how I learned his plan—to conquer Blackthorn Pack first, but their twin Guardians made them too strong. So he targeted Nightshade. His strategy? Kill Luna Isolde to weaken Alpha Cassian, then seize your pack lands. He even planned to take a new mate, sire another heir."

"On the battle day, I followed his warriors into your territory. By the time I found your mother..." My voice cracks. "One of Lucian's soldiers had already reached her."

Memories choke me. "She was still breathing when I got there. Her last words were to stay strong." I can still feel her trembling hand against my cheek before it fell lifeless.

"What happened next is blurred. I remember holding her body when warriors found us. They assumed I murdered her. So I ran. I've been running for years."

A bitter laugh escapes me. "My birth killed my own mother. Luna Isolde was the closest I ever had to a parent. And I failed to protect her."